Questions Answered: Predicting Vikings QB2, One More Splashy Free Agent, Another Kicker
The following questions are about current Minnesota Vikings topics, answered by VikingsTerritory. Today is the March 28th edition, addressed in a from-the-hip fashion. If you have questions, please email them to [email protected].
Questions Answered: Predicting Vikings QB2, One More Splashy Free Agent, Another Kicker
Also, please note: These are opinion-based responses. Some answers will be incorrect from time to time. But we’ll try to keep that to a minimum.
Q: Who do you predict will be Minnesota’s QB2 by Week 1?
Answer: This will probably be Ryan Tannehill or Joe Flacco, but give us Case Keenum as a dark horse.
Keenum golfed this week with J.J. McCarthy, Harrison Smith, and Adam Thielen, so we’ll choose to believe in a connection there. Kevin O’Connell also worked with Keenum in Washington during the 2019 campaign.
To be different, we’ll say Keenum for a 2017 homecoming.
Q: If the Vikings make one more free-agent splash, who will it be?
Answer: We’ll roll with cornerback Jaire Alexander.
One might argue that a two-time All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowler in Alexander would represent a cake-topper or a chef’s kiss at cornerback for the Vikings’ offseason. There’s a decent possibility that Minnesota knows he’ll be released before too long, and perhaps the franchise will pounce.
ESPN’s Rob Demovsky wrote last month, “One way or another, it appears that two-time All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander and the Green Bay Packers are headed for a split.”
“General manager Brian Gutekunst was noncommittal about Alexander’s future when he spoke to reporters Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, but sources confirmed Wednesday that the team is willing to listen to trade offers.”
We will wager that Minnesota pokes around Alexander’s free agency if he gets cut.
Q: Will Minnesota bring in a second kicker this summer because Will Reichard cooled off late last year?
Answer: No.
Having two kickers in the summer is just something that Vikings fans are used to, but it doesn’t have to be that way anymore with Reichard in the mix.
In fact, it would be quite strange if Minnesota added another kicker. Reichard’s their guy.
Don’t look for an extra kicker this spring or summer. Reichard doesn’t need competition.
Q: If Dallas Turner didn’t play a whole lot last year because Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard were in front of him, how will he get more playing time this year with those two players still on the roster?
Answer: He will take Patrick Jones II’s and Jihad Ward’s snaps — and he might even eat into Andrew Van Ginkel’s playing time.
This is the OLB group through March:
OLB1: Jonathan Greenard
OLB2: Andrew Van Ginkel
OLB3: Dallas Turner
OLB4: Bo Richter
OLB5: Gabriel Murphy
Last year, Turner lived a spot or two below Greenard and Van Ginkel. Now it is time to climb toward the OLB3 spot and maybe even snag starter’s snaps.
When defensive coordinator Brian Flores put Turner on the field in 2024, he made an impact. It was just that Flores couldn’t bench Greenard or Van Ginkel in good faith, and Jones II, who now plays for the Carolina Panthers, always found a way to tabulate sacks.
But now Jones II and Ward are gone, and almost by default, Turner will see more action — and wreak havoc.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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